Nitrogen‐doped carbon (NC) materials have been proposed as next‐generation oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts to significantly improve scalability and reduce costs, but these alternatives ...usually exhibit low activity and/or gradual deactivation during use. Here, we develop new 2D sandwich‐like zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF) derived graphene‐based nitrogen‐doped porous carbon sheets (GNPCSs) obtained by in situ growing ZIF on graphene oxide (GO). Compared to commercial Pt/C catalyst, the GNPCSs show comparable onset potential, higher current density, and especially an excellent tolerance to methanol and superior durability in the ORR. Those properties might be attributed to a synergistic effect between NC and graphene with regard to structure and composition. Furthermore, higher open‐circuit voltage and power density are obtained in direct methanol fuel cells.
Nitrogen‐doped: A new oxygen reduction reaction electrocatalyst was obtained from ZIF‐derived porous carbon and graphene. The catalyst exhibits high activity, superior tolerance to methanol, and good stability in comparison to commercial Pt/C catalyst.
Summary
Topological cytonuclear discordance is commonly observed in plant phylogenetic and phylogeographic studies, yet few studies have attempted to detect two other forms of cytonuclear discordance ...(branch length and geographical) and to uncover the causes of the discordance.
We used the whole nuclear and chloroplast genome data from 80 individual Asian butternuts to reveal the pattern and processes of cytonuclear discordance.
Our findings indicate that the chloroplast genome had substantially deeper divergence (branch‐length discordance) and a steeper cline in the contact zone (geographic discordance) compared with the nuclear genome. After various hypothesis have been tested, the results suggest that incomplete lineage sorting, positive selection and cytonuclear incompatibility are probably insufficient to explain this pattern. However, isolation‐by‐distance analysis and gene flow estimation point to a much higher level of gene flow by pollen compared with by seeds, which may have slowed down lineage divergence and mediated wider contact for nuclear genome compared with the chloroplast genome.
Altogether, this study highlights a critical role of sex‐biased dispersal in causing discordance between the nuclear and plastid genome of Asian butternuts. Given its ubiquity among plants, asymmetric gene flow should be given a high priority in future studies of cytonuclear discordance.
Nanomaterials provide many desirable properties for electrochemical energy storage devices due to their nanoscale size effect, which could be significantly different from bulk or micron-sized ...materials. Particularly, confined dimensions play important roles in determining the properties of nanomaterials, such as the kinetics of ion diffusion, the magnitude of strain/stress, and the utilization of active materials. Nanowires, as one of the representative one-dimensional nanomaterials, have great capability for realizing a variety of applications in the fields of energy storage since they could maintain electron transport along the long axis and have a confinement effect across the diameter. In this review, we give a systematic overview of the state-of-the-art research progress on nanowires for electrochemical energy storage, from rational design and synthesis, in situ structural characterizations, to several important applications in energy storage including lithium-ion batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries, sodium-ion batteries, and supercapacitors. The problems and limitations in electrochemical energy storage and the advantages in utilizing nanowires to address the issues and improve the device performance are pointed out. At the end, we also discuss the challenges and demonstrate the prospective for the future development of advanced nanowire-based energy storage devices.
Follicular helper T (Tfh) cells provide crucial help to germinal center B (GCB) cells for proper antibody production, and a specialized subset of regulatory T cells, follicular regulatory T (Tfr) ...cells, modulate this process. However, Tfr‐cell function in the GC is not well understood. Here, we define Tfr cells as a CD4+ Foxp3+ CXCR5hi PD‐1hi CD25low TIGIThigh T‐cell population. Furthermore, we have used a novel mouse model (“Bcl6FC”) to delete the Bcl6 gene in Foxp3+ T cells and thus specifically deplete Tfr cells. Following immunization, Bcl6FC mice develop normal Tfh‐ and GCB‐cell populations. However, Bcl6FC mice produce altered antigen‐specific antibody responses, with reduced titers of IgG and significantly increased IgA. Bcl6FC mice also developed IgG antibodies with significantly decreased avidity to antigen in an HIV‐1 gp120 “prime‐boost” vaccine model. In an autoimmune lupus model, we observed strongly elevated anti‐DNA IgA titers in Bcl6FC mice. Additionally, Tfh cells from Bcl6FC mice consistently produce higher levels of Interferon‐γ, IL‐10 and IL‐21. Loss of Tfr cells therefore leads to highly abnormal Tfh‐cell and GCB‐cell responses. Overall, our study has uncovered unique regulatory roles for Tfr cells in the GC response.
T‐follicular regulatory (TFR) cells express high levels of the inhibitory receptor TIGIT. TFR cells decrease production of helper cytokines by T‐follicular helper (TFH) cells. TFR cells help shape the antibody response in the germinal center by promoting high affinity IgG and decreasing IgA production.
The discovery of proper ligands to simultaneously modulate the reactivity and effectively control the stereoselectivity is a central topic in the field of enantioselective C−H activation. Herein, we ...reported the synthesis of axially chiral biaryls by Pd‐catalyzed atroposelective C−H olefination. A novel chiral spiro phosphoric acid, STRIP, was identified as a superior ligand for this transformation. A broad range of axially chiral quinoline derivatives were synthesized in good yields with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 98 % ee). Density functional theory was used to gain a theoretical understanding of the enantioselectivities in this reaction.
The discovery of proper ligands to simultaneously modulate the reactivity and effectively control the stereoselectivity is a central topic in the field of enantioselective C−H activation. Herein, the synthesis of axially chiral biaryls by Pd‐catalyzed atroposelective C−H olefination is reported. A broad range of axially chiral quinoline derivatives were synthesized in good yields with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 98 % ee).
Na3V2(PO4)3 nanograins dispersed in different carbon matrices are rationally synthesized and systematically characterized. The acetylene carbon matrix provides the best conductive networks for ...electrons and sodium ions, which endows Na3V2(PO4)3 stable cyclability and high rate performance. The Na3V2(PO4)3‐based symmetric sodium‐ion batteries show outstanding electrochemical performance, which is promising for large‐scale and low‐cost energy storage applications.
In plant tissue culture, callus forms from detached explants in response to a high-auxin-to-low-cytokinin ratio on callus-inducing medium. Callus is a group of pluripotent cells because it can ...regenerate either roots or shoots in response to a low level of auxin on root-inducing medium or a high-cytokinin-to-low-auxin ratio on shoot-inducing medium, respectively
. However, our knowledge of the mechanism of pluripotency acquisition during callus formation is limited. On the basis of analyses at the single-cell level, we show that the tissue structure of Arabidopsis thaliana callus on callus-inducing medium is similar to that of the root primordium or root apical meristem, and the middle cell layer with quiescent centre-like transcriptional identity exhibits the ability to regenerate organs. In the middle cell layer, WUSCHEL-RELATED HOMEOBOX5 (WOX5) directly interacts with PLETHORA1 and 2 to promote TRYPTOPHAN AMINOTRANSFERASE OF ARABIDOPSIS1 expression for endogenous auxin production. WOX5 also interacts with the B-type ARABIDOPSIS RESPONSE REGULATOR12 (ARR12) and represses A-type ARRs to break the negative feedback loop in cytokinin signalling. Overall, the promotion of auxin production and the enhancement of cytokinin sensitivity are both required for pluripotency acquisition in the middle cell layer of callus for organ regeneration.
This paper presents a new supervised classification algorithm for remotely sensed hyperspectral image (HSI) which integrates spectral and spatial information in a unified Bayesian framework. First, ...we formulate the HSI classification problem from a Bayesian perspective. Then, we adopt a convolutional neural network (CNN) to learn the posterior class distributions using a patch-wise training strategy to better use the spatial information. Next, spatial information is further considered by placing a spatial smoothness prior on the labels. Finally, we iteratively update the CNN parameters using stochastic gradient decent and update the class labels of all pixel vectors using α-expansion mincut-based algorithm. Compared with the other state-of-the-art methods, the classification method achieves better performance on one synthetic data set and two benchmark HSI data sets in a number of experimental settings.
Cerebral ischemic preconditioning (IPC) protects brain against ischemic injury. Activation of Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) signaling can induce neuroprotective mediators, but whether astrocytic TLR3 ...signaling is involved in IPC-induced ischemic tolerance is not known.
IPC was modeled in mice with three brief episodes of bilateral carotid occlusion. In vitro, IPC was modeled in astrocytes by 1-h oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD). Injury and components of the TLR3 signaling pathway were measured after a subsequent protracted ischemic event. A neutralizing antibody against TLR3 was used to evaluate the role of TLR3 signaling in ischemic tolerance.
IPC in vivo reduced brain damage from permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion in mice and increased expression of TLR3 in cortical astrocytes. IPC also reduced damage in isolated astrocytes after 12-h OGD. In astrocytes, IPC or 12-h OGD alone increased TLR3 expression, and 12-h OGD alone increased expression of phosphorylated NFκB (pNFκB). However, IPC or 12-h OGD alone did not alter the expression of Toll/interleukin receptor domain-containing adaptor-inducing IFNβ (TRIF) or phosphorylated interferon regulatory factor 3 (pIRF3). Exposure to IPC before OGD increased TRIF and pIRF3 expression but decreased pNFκB expression. Analysis of cytokines showed that 12-h OGD alone increased IFNβ and IL-6 secretion; 12-h OGD preceded by IPC further increased IFNβ secretion but decreased IL-6 secretion. Preconditioning with TLR3 ligand Poly I:C increased pIRF3 expression and protected astrocytes against ischemic injury; however, cells treated with a neutralizing antibody against TLR3 lacked the IPC- and Poly I:C-induced ischemic protection and augmentation of IFNβ.
The results suggest that IPC-induced ischemic tolerance is mediated by astrocytic TLR3 signaling. This reprogramming of TLR3 signaling by IPC in astrocytes may play an important role in suppression of the post-ischemic inflammatory response and thereby protect against ischemic damage. The mechanism may be via activation of the TLR3/TRIF/IRF3 signaling pathway.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Exploration of high‐efficiency, economical, and ultrastable electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) to substitute precious Pt is of great significance in electrochemical energy ...conversion devices. Single‐atom catalysts (SACs) have sparked tremendous interest for their maximum atom‐utilization efficiency and fascinating properties. Therefore, the development of effective synthetic methodology toward SACs becomes highly imperative yet still remains greatly challenging. Herein, a reliable SiO2‐templated strategy is elaborately designed to synthesize atomically dispersed Fe atoms anchored on N‐doped carbon nanospheres (denoted as Fe–N–C HNSs) using the cheap and sustainable biomaterial of histidine (His) as the N and C precursor. By virtue of the numerous atomically dispersed Fe–N4 moieties and unique spherical hollow architecture, the as‐fabricated Fe–N–C HNSs exhibit excellent ORR performance in alkaline medium with outstanding activity, high long‐term stability, and superior tolerance to methanol crossover, exceeding the commercial Pt/C catalyst and most previously reported non‐precious‐metal catalysts. This present synthetic strategy will provide new inspiration to the fabrication of various high‐efficiency single‐atom catalysts for diverse applications.
Atomically dispersed Fe atoms anchored on N‐doped carbon nanospheres (denoted as Fe–N–C HNSs) are synthesized via a reliable hard‐template‐engaged approach. Owing to the abundant atomically dispersed Fe–N4 moieties and distinct spherical hollow architecture, the developed Fe–N–C HNSs exhibit remarkably improved electrocatalytic performance for the oxygen reduction reaction, as compared with commercial Pt/C catalyst.